Biography:

Drea de Matteo was born on January 19, 1972 in Queens, New York, USA. She attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the hopes of becoming a director, but became an actress instead.

In 1996, she made her television debut as Laurie Tuco in an episode of Swift Justice. Her breakthrough came in 1999 after being cast as Adriana La Cerva in The Sopranos, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2004.

She has since starred in major roles in a number of well-known shows including Joey, Sons of Anarchy and Desperate Housewives.